MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – The Wisconsin Justice Department is starting an Office of Open Government.
Attorney General Brad Schimel says it will handle requests for records in his agency — things like investigations into police shootings. It will also give advice to state and local officials for carrying out the state Open Records and Open Meetings laws.
Schimel said his agency had up to six dozen open records’ requests pending when he took office in January.
Legal services administrator Kevin Potter has officially overseen the department’s records, but Schimel says Potter has a number of other responsibilities.
Assistant Attorney General Paul Ferguson will head the office. He has served as a prosecutor and a public defender in Pennsylvania and Indiana.
Schimel said the numbers of total positions in his agency will not change, and he’s reassigning a lawyer to focus totally on its Open Records and Meetings’ responsibilities.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)